How We Use Data

Why is it important to collect information on shorebird numbers?

By expanding the national shorebird population monitoring program, and starting to collect extra information on habitat condition, threats and disturbance to shorebirds, the Shorebirds 2020 Program aim to:

  • report on both long and short-term population trends of shorebirds in Australia
  • better understand the relationship between habitat quality and threats to the distribution and abundance of shorebirds
  • make results widely accessible to managers, planners and the community, to aid the conservation and management of shorebirds.

July 2009 Report: What is the data is telling us about shorebird populations in Australia? – Rob Clemens, Shorebirds 2020 Technical Manager

In the short term the data are telling us a great deal about the distribution and abundance of shorebirds throughout Australia, and in some cases the changes that have occurred in areas that have not been surveyed in decades are obvious.
The most obvious example of changes in Australian shorebird distributions have been the declining abundance of shorebirds at non-coastal wetlands in southern Australia. After nearly 10 years of drought, many wetlands have dried out, while others are becoming degraded due to a lack of freshwater inflows. It is, therefore, not surprising that shorebirds are less abundant in the non-coastal wetlands of southern Australia . . . [Download full report pdf 64KB]

Data use over the last 12 months July 2009

  • Shorebird count data is routinely extracted for a variety of stakeholders, many of these extractions are for existing counters. Over the past year, approximately five extractions were made for consultants, and as many as 20 are for state or local government organisations. Over 150 extractions were made from the database and passed on to a variety of stakeholders (again mostly the existing shorebird counters or experts).
  • Existing GIS shapefiles of shorebird habitat are also passed on to a variety of stakeholders, but given these are also freely available on the web, the number of people using them is not tracked.
  • Over the past year Shorebirds 2020 staff passed on the GIS layers to at least 20 stakeholders not directly involved in the project, and counters are routinely contacted regarding help with refining these boundaries.
  • Shorebirds 2020 staff regularly contribute advise and input on a variety of issues directly and indirectly related to shorebird conservation. Some examples over the past year include:
    • More than five letters or submissions to management organisations regarding the protection of shorebird habitat in specific areas.
    • Contributed time and knowledge to the Australian Government’s recent State of the Environment report, specifically on evidence of population trends in shorebirds.
    • Contributed information to ‘Melbourne @ 5 Million”, a Strategic Assessment into the future growth of Melbourne’s population, regarding the potential impact to shorebirds of proposed expansions to Melbourne’s urban growth boundary.
    • Fielded phone calls from consultants, interested stakeholders and members of the public regarding areas important for shorebirds, and potential impacts to shorebirds of various proposals and actions
  • Considerable work remains to refine the information on shorebird conservation that can be made available to planners and managers, including specific recommendations, materials, and background information.